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Friday, July 19, 2013

Sepia Saturday: The Neptune Party

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to
share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt featuring a costumed woman warrior reminded me of a puzzling
collection of photos that had belonged to my maternal grandmother’s brother Ray Rucker. Every time one of them came into my field of vision, I wondered what these sailors in the most powerful Navy in the world -- the defenders of freedom -- were doing in those crazy costumes.

Neptune Party: The Royal FamilyClick to enlarge

So, it turns out these were some of the main characters in a naval tradition
that dates back over 400 years in the western seafaring world: the line crossing ceremony. Which line?
Why, the equator, of course.

Whether a test of a sailor’s ability to withstand a long
and rough voyage or merely a way to boost morale, the tradition of the Neptune
Party has been a rite of passage for many a sailor transforming from a “Slimy
Pollywog” (a sailor who has never crossed the equator) to a “Trusty” or “Honorable”
Shellback.

Ray was a sailor onboard the USS Colorado when this particular
ceremony took place, but his photos do not clearly reveal whether he was among
the experienced Shellbacks or if he was being initiated into the “mysteries of
the deep.”

The festivities varied from ship to ship, but no doubt Ray experienced the standard features of the Order
of Neptune.

1. Typically the ceremony began with King Neptune, the
mythical god of the sea, coming aboard to exercise his authority over the seas
and the ship. With a trident in hand, he
served as judge ruling on charges that the Pollywogs were not real sailors at
all, and that furthermore they had not shown proper respect to the god of the sea. King Neptune was often portrayed by the ship’s
commander or other high ranking officer.

The Royal PoliceClick to enlarge

The most experienced Shellbacks dressed in costume as
members of King Neptune’s Royal Court.
Usually the characters included King Neptune, Amphitrite (Neptune’s
wife), Davey Jones (Neptune's scribe), the Royal Baby, and the Royal Barber. Other appropriate characters could be included as
well, and some Trusty Shellbacks might have dressed as pirates
as part of the Royal Police.
2. Pollywogs entertained the Royal Court with a talent show
or even a beauty contest with sailors dressed as women.

3. Davey Jones presented subpoenas to the Pollywogs to
appear before the Royal Court and answer charges lodged by the Shellbacks.

4. Court was held after breakfast which had been rendered
inedible by the addition of hot sauce or other spices. King Neptune assigned punishments that
included wearing clothes inside out or backwards, crawling on hands and knees
through garbage, being swatted with pieces of fire hose, being pelted with
rotting fruit, and being treated with “truth serum” (hot sauce rubbed on the
face following a shave). The Royal
Barber used hand clippers to cut the Pollywogs’ hair in various directions –
never intending the results to be worthy of a tip.

The Royal BabyClick to enlarge

5. Next the Pollywogs knelt before King Neptune to kiss the
Royal Baby’s belly which was covered with grease. Often the Baby grabbed the Pollywog’s hair
and rubbed his face all over his belly to make sure the sailor was duly
covered. In some cases, the Baby flung
mustard in the Pollywog’s face. The “honor”
of being the Royal Baby was usually given to the ugliest guy on the ship. Some honor!

6. The final step in the transformation to Shellback was a royal
bath in sea water often contained in a canvas pool on deck, a “baptism” of
sorts. The new Shellbacks received a
certificate, and the event was recognized in their service records with date, time,
latitude, and longitude.

Pollywogs go head-first into the Royal Bath.
The caption on the photo is difficult to read, but it says:USS Colorado Neptune Party

The latest crop of Shellbacks in the "royal bath"

The Neptune Party was a fun time, according to many
sailors. In recent years, however, there
have been reports of unspeakable abuse during the line crossing ceremony. In
the early 1920s when Ray was a Pollywog, the ceremony likely was a highlight in
a sailor’s memories of life at sea.

37 comments:

I've heard of the line-crossing ceremony, but not the full story, so thanks for both that and the photos - very entertaining. It reminds me a little of the "screeching" ceremony I had in Newfoundland many years ago.

A wonderful story and collection of photos and like Brett, I knew about the ceremony but not the detail. Loved the name Pollywogs - would that be "politically incorrect" now? As ever you write such witty endings.

I need to Google the term - I never thought of it as associated with anything negative. I assumed it was just a reference to the baby form of frogs and Shellbacks to turtles, both water and land animals like the sailors themselves.

I never went in for initiation activities either. Even in school when Seniors initiated the freshmen, it was silly and harmless things like making them carry their books or push a pencil down the hall with their nose. Now people get very reckless with their ceremonies.

It doesn't sound like much fun to me...especially the belly rubbing and the hot sauce on the newly shaved face. Not to mention the pelting with rotten fruit! And how about the poor ugliest guy? Although he does get to get back at them for choosing him.I wonder who in the world thought this all up?Barbara

I know a pollywog as a tadpole, a "baby" version of a frog. Perhaps that's the pollywog they were thinking of as opposed to the racial slurs. I have to agree with barbara and nancy, I don't think it sounds like fun at all.

A dunk in the pool would be enough for me. Interesting that you got a certificate. I read that such ceremonies are often part of cruise ship activities too, but probably not so unappetizing as pelting the guests with rotting fruit.

This Rite of Passage is a 'Riot'. Never heard of this particular one, and my Dad was a Sailor...maybe he never crossed the equator. Surprising what grown men will do for entertainment and then allow it to be recorded for all time. Hmmmm, I have a photo of 'self' slathered with unspeakable stuff as a 'Rite of Passage' into the world of 'Higher Education'...it made the SRSU yearbook. Yikes!

Good job on the story telling.Sue CollectInTexasGal~Today's Post~Hawaii Cardstock Sticker Shocker

I'm with Barbara and Kristin on this one; it's the sort of initiation ceremony I'd go to great lengths to avoid. I knew a little about it and I've seen short film clips but never knew so much detail so thank you for that. A nice twist on the theme Wendy.

Gosh, Wendy, I think this completes the Naval Historian merit badge to add to your long collection of life skills. I think many ships had a sailor assigned to photograph events onboard and he may have produced copies of these snapshots for all the Shellbacks.

HA Mike, so true. What will I ever do with all this knowledge about the Navy (and Coast Guard and Marines)??

I thought a couple photos had to have been done by the ship's photographer since they had printed captions on them. But the idea that maybe they were given to the new Shellbacks might be a clue as to whether Ray had to kiss the Royal Baby's belly on that trip!

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net